Taylor Berman

As many as 40 students at Uintah
Elementary in Salt Lake City had their lunches—which they'd already
received from the cafeteria—seized and trashed by school
authorities because their parents were behind on payments.

According to Jason Olsen, a Salt Lake
City District spokesman, the child-nutrition department realized some
students' families had outstanding balances on Monday, but the department's
manager wasn't able to notify the school until after lunch had
been served on Tuesday. So the department did what any humane, understanding
person would do: they snatched the meals from the children and threw
them in the trash.

"It was pretty traumatic and
humiliating," Erica Lukes, one of the children's mother, told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I think it's despicable. These are
young children that shouldn't be punished or humiliated for
something the parents obviously need to clear up."

Advertisement

Olsen said school authorities attempted
to contact parents about the debt on Monday and Tuesday morning but failed to reach them all before Tuesday's lunch
period.

"Something's not working, and that's what the school
and child-nutrition department are going to work on together,"
Olsen said. "This can be easily prevented."

He stopped short of
apologizing,though, saying only, "If students were humiliated and upset
that's very unfortunate and not what we wanted to happen."

But a lengthy apology was later posted
to the district's Facebook page.

"This situation could have and should
have been handled in a different manner. We apologize," the post
reads. "We understand the feelings of upset parents and students
who say this was an embarrassing and humiliating situation."